Machine



v mi

(No Model.)

' 2 Sheets-Sheet 1-. P. KING LEATHER STRETOHING MACHINE.

Pat n ed Jan. 30,1894.

M itmaooeo (No Model.)

- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. KING. LEATHER STRETGHING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. 30, 1894.

avweutoz UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

LEATHER-STRETCHING MACHINE. I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,943, dated January 30, 1894.

Application filed July 1, 1893. Serial No. 479.?33. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, PAUL KING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLeather- Stretching Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved stretching machine, more particularly for stretching leather, either in the hide or belt form, and it has for its object to subject the softer, side portions of the leather to an increased stretching action, and the harder, middle portions thereof to a diminished stretching action; to provide for the passage or feeding of the leather with a minimum friction under the holding down roll, as it, the leather, is drawn upon to prevent exerting excessive or damaging strain upon the leather at that point; also to readily secure and hold the leather, section after section, as it is pulled or stretched along the table 5 also to provide for the effective and expeditious stretching of the leather, and to readily ascertain the amount of stretch or pull to which the leather is being subjected, to guard against undulystretching the leather or not imparting sufficient stretch thereto; and to these ends the invention consists in the sundry combinations of parts substantially as hereinafter more fully disclosed and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved leather stretching .machine, portions being broken away. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged, broken sectional view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of a gripping cam or clamp, and Figs. 5 and 6 are also enlarged detailed sectional views of the invention; Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged, broken, detailed views of the same.

In the embodiment of my invention, I employ a suitable support Or bed, A, upon which, in ways, a a, therein is mounted and adapted to slide 'a carriage, B, upon the under side of which at its center is suitably secured a rack,

1), extending the entire length thereof. This carriage isdriven or moved by a multiplicity or train of power gearing, C, preferably comprising a series of toothed wheels or pinions, c c, of varying diameters, one of which engages the rack, b, the shafts, c bearing said pinions or wheels, being journaled upon the support or bed, A, and one carrying ratchets, c 0 engaged by retaining pawls, c 0 respectively, hung upon the side of the carriage, B.

To any one of several of the shafts, 0*, of the gearing or wheels, C, adapted to that end, may be applied a Wrench-like handle or crank, 11, for actuating or turning the gearing to impart movement to the carriage, B, or, in lieu of this handle or crank,a pulley and belt may be employed for that purpose.

D is a board or table let into the carriage, B, rabbeted or stepped along its inner longitudinal edges to provide ledges, e, below the upper surface of the carriage for that purpose, the table or board being securely retained in place by buttons, f, pivoted to the carriage at its ends, upon the upper surface thereof, or by other suitable means.

Centrally upon the support or bed, A, is

a hearin or box D havin vertical elon- I gated slots, 9, within which are held axiallike extensions, g", of the stretching bar, E, having a series of transverse openings, 9, through which are passed keys, 9 also inserted through aligned openings, 9 in the bearing or box, D, which, while holding the stretching bar, E,-against rotation, yet permit the said bar to have alimited axial movement to accommodate it'self'to the action of the clamp or cam, hung thereabove, upon the leather. The extensions, g are separated from the stretching bar, E, by integral disks, g, the purpose of which will appear farther on. The stretching bar, E, in cross section,

' is convex or approximately cylindric, and longitudinally flared from the center toward its ends. Thus the stretching bar is enabled to bring increased strain laterally upon the leather or belt, causing increased stretching of the softer, side portions of the leatherjust where this is needed, and proportionately diminished stretching of the middle, harder portion of the leather, which does not require that amount of stretching that the side soft portions do. The softer portions are liable to subsequent stretching when in use, if they are not properly stretched at the outset, or so as to have no more give in their final condition than the harder, thick, or middle portion has. Hung, as at h, upon and between plates, h, riveted or bolted to the inner sides of the disks, g", is an inverted stirrup, 7L2, carrying at its open end a hinged broad, convex-faced cam or clamp, E adapted to grip the leather down upon the stretching bar, E. This stirrip has integrally formed therewith a crooked or cranked handle or lever, E, reaching con siderably distant from the stirrup. The distant arm of the lever, E, is held under a sleeve or roll armed bracket or hook, h secured to the bed or support, A, to keep the clamp or cam, E down to its work, this arm of the lever being inclined upward and outward to provide for a proportionate application of pressure to the clamp or cam to the increase of stretch imparted to the leather, according to the extent of the movement of the carriage.

E is an eccentric, arranged adjacently to the stretching bar, E, for holding down the leather upon the table while being stretched, journaled in the box or bearing, D, and having fitted thereon a loose sleeve, E capable of turning as the leather is pulled thereunder with a minimum friction, in the operation of stretching the leather and yet holding the leather closely down to the table, thus, while aiding to hold the leather under the requisite tension, avoiding the subjecting of the leather to excessive strain.

The sleeve E, with the eccentric E is manipulated by the use of a lever or handle e", preferably, integral with the said sleeve, at one end thereof, and adapted to engage, and be retained in its locked position by, a rack or ratchet-bar e suitably secured in position upon the carriage B.

The box or hearing, D, is mounted in place upon the base or support, S, so as to be movable, and through pendent end flanges, 01, upon the under side of base flanges, d, at the sides of said box or hearing, pass rods, D fixed at their ends to brackets, (i secured to the sides of this support, A, at some distance from the box or hearing. These rods, D are provided with upwardly projecting guide lugs, d entering elongated slots, d, in the base flanges, d, of the box or bearing, D, and upon said rods are arranged stout, heavy springs, D, preferably coiled around the rods, and against the inner ends of these springs rest-s, or to them is connected, the box or bearing, D, the opposite ends of said springs resting against or connected to two of the brackets, (1

Upon one side of the support, A, is secured a graduated plate or scale, D with which registers a pointer or index, 01 suitably secured to the box or bearing, D, and depending in front of said scale.

The unit of the scale of graduated plate,D

is pounds, each division being marked 01? into two hundred pounds.

The scale may read either way, according to the side of the stretching bar, E, upon which the springs may be arranged, in one case the pressure being exerted in the direction of the compression of the springs, and in the other case in the direction of the expansion of the springs. Therefore, it will be seen that, as the leather is put under tension or stretched, by gripping it down upon the stretching bar, E, by the cam or clamp, E", after having unrolled a length of the leather and clamped it down upon the table, as more fully hereinafter described, the springs arranged as shown in this instance, will be compressed proportionately with the pressure put upon the stretching bar carried by the box or hearing, thus forced or moved against the springs, carrying with it the pointer or index, (1", and moving the latter over the face of the scale, thus indicating the number of pounds pressure to which the stretching of the leather is subjected. Thus it is obvious, from this arrangement of parts, that the amount of stretch to be imparted to a stronger or weaker portion of the hide may be determined without unduly or excessively stretching one-portion, and not imparting enough or the requisite amount of stretch to the other portion, thus providing for the graduated stretching of the same hide according to its weak and strong portions, as well as separate hides of dilferent strength.

F F are also broad, convex-faced cams or clamps, each hung or pivoted upon, and between, the vertical portions of a bifurcated, right angled lever, F itself, hung or pivoted in a stirrup, F adapted to be adjusted upon a plate, D supported upon the board, D, in securing the leather thereon at the'required points. The lever, F, has a tongue-like extension, f, in its bifurcated portion, and upon this tongue or extension is exerted the pressure of a handled screw, F working in an axially pivoted plate, f hung in the up per part of the stirrup, F to hold the lever, F, with its cam or clamp, F, against movement under the stretching action to which the leather is being subjected. The screw, F acting upon the tongue of the lever, F, carrying the cam or clamp serves to aid in forcing the cam or clamp to its maximum gripping position, and also to lock the clamp or cam when in such position against being tripped by the reverse gripping action of the cams or clamps used in holding the succeeding section of leather while being stretched. The stirrup, W, has projecting upward from the upper side of its lower cross-bar, short, stout, studs, f entering corresponding sockets or countersinks, f, in the under side of the plate, D, to hold the stirrup at its point of adjustment upon the plate. The extreme end gripping cam or clamp, F, has its lever further held to assist the cam in gripping the to permit of the ready manipulation of said.

weight, it is suspended by a line, f rove through a block and tackle, f itself suspend ed from a sheave or pulley, f mounted to travel upon an overhead track, f to permit the movement of the weight with the mo'vement of the carriage.

The operator, having. hold of the line, f with one hand, is enabled, by taking hold of the weight with the other hand, to readily ship and unship the weight from the lever, F, as may be required at the beginning and end of the stretching operation, it being understood that, in the meantime, or when the machine is in operation, the line is loose and the weight is resting bodily upon the lever causing the forcing of the cam or clamp down to its maximum gripping point, as in the action of the cam or clamp, E before described. The leather or belt, after beingclamped down, at one end, upon the plate,D close to one end thereof (the end previously adjusted closely to the eccentrics, E bythe clamp, F, carried at the end of the plate, D is then passed under said eccentric and under and up over the stretching bar, E. The table is now moved, by the turning of the gear actuating crank or handle, so as to remove the clamped end of the leather away from the eccentric, E until the required length or section of leather has been exposed, the leather being properly held down by the eccentric, E after which the clamp or cam, E", hung directly over the stretching bar, E, is brought into requisition, gripping the leather down upon said stretching bar. Now, after further movement of the table, according to the amount of stretch it is desired to impart to the leather, a second clamp, F, is brought into use to do the duty of the clamp, E", the latter clamp then being released, and-a further length of the leather exposed, and the same operation repeated therefor until the entire piece or length of leather has thus been continuously treated or stretched.

It is obvious that, in lieu of the screw, a wedge f as shown, may be used to lock the clamp or cam in position.

I claim- 1. In aleather and belt stretching machine,

the combination of a suitable support,a table or carriage movable by suitable mechanism, a bOEtIdjllOVtblB with respect to the table, clamps or cams, and means for their movement along said board, means for holdin the leather, means for lengthening out the leather, section by section, simultaneously with the movement of the board or carriage while stretching the leather, and means co-acting with the means for holding the leather and for registering the pounds pressure applied to the stretching of the leather, substantially as set forth.

2. In a leather stretcher and beltstretching machine, the combination, with a suitable support, a table or carriage movable by suitable mechanism, and a board movable with respect to the table cams or clamps, and means for their movement along said board, means for holding the leather, and means for lengthening out the leather, section by section, simultaneously with the movement of the board and carriage while stretching the leather, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with'means for stretching leather or belting, of the stretching bar cylindric in cross section and flared longitudinally from its center toward its ends, and

on, substantially as set forth. 7

ing plate, a carriage carrying said plate,- and means for lengthening out the leather or belting section by section with the movement of said carriage, of cams or clamps whose stirrups or supports are provided upon the upper, side of their lower cross-bars with studs entering corresponding sockets or countersinks in the under side of said plate, substantially as set forth.

5. In a belt and leather stretching machine, the combination, with means for stretching the leather, of the stretching bar cylindric in cross section and flared longitudinally toward each end, and having secured between and upon disks or plates thereof a stirrup, a right angled lever earryinga hung or pivoted clamp or cam, and means for holding said lever, substantially as set forth.

6. In a leather and belt stretching machine, the combination, with a box or bearing carrying a stretching bar upon which the leather or hide is clamped, and means'for stretching the leather, of the eccentric hung or journaled in said box or bearing adjacent to said bar, and provided with a loose sleeve beneath which the leather is stretched as the latter is pulledor drawn upon, substantially as specified.

7. In a leather stretching machine, the combination, with a carriage, a leather carrying plate held thereon, and means for stretching the leather, of a ratchet bar, and a cam hung in a stirrup having a lever adapted to engage said ratchet bar, substantially as specified.

8. In a leather stretching machine, the combination, with means for stretching the leather, of the stretching bar, the stirrup having a cam or clamp hung thereon connected to said cam or clamp and-hungin connection with said bar, and having a cranked or crooked lever, with an outer inclined end portion, and means for holding down said lever, substantially-as specified.

bination, with means for stretching the leather, the stirrup, and means for carrying the same, the bifurcated, right angled lever L hung or pivoted in said stirrup and carrying cams or clamps for gripping the leather there-' 4. The combination, with a leather carry- 9. In a leather stretching machine, the coming said lever, and a weight adapted to be connected to said lever and suspended from an overhead traveling sheave, and a manipulating line for said weight under the control of the operator, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL KING.

With esses:

Tnos. S. HOPKINS, O. W. BAILEY. 

